TheNewsGuru

Tag: Sport

  • Illegal betting, number one factor fuelling corruption in sports – UNODC

    Illegal betting, number one factor fuelling corruption in sports – UNODC

    The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has identified illegal betting as number one factor fuelling corruption in sports.

    The UN drug agency also identified fraudulent manipulation of competitions, and the involvement of organised crime in the sporting work as other factors fuelling corruption in sports globally.

    UNODC in a statement on Saturday said that the agency in its just concluded International Anti-corruption conference in Atlanta, U.S. noted increase in illegal betting.

    It pointed a dramatic increase in illegal betting, fuelled by the billions of dollars flowing through professional sports, as well as globalisation and technological advances.

    The discussions at the conference built on the ground-breaking Global Report on Corruption in Sport, produced by the UNODC in 2021.

    UNODC, which is at the forefront of international efforts to support governments and sports organisations in preventing and punishing offences in sport through its Programme to Protect Sport from Corruption and Economic Crime, estimates that up to $1.7 trillion is wagered on illicit betting markets controlled by organised crime.

    Speaking at a session on sport and corruption at the conference, James Porteous, Research Head of the Asian Racing Federation Council on Anti-Illegal Betting and Related Financial Crime, said that illegal betting is now the “number one factor fuelling corruption in sports”.

    He pointed out that many of the regulations were drafted in the 19th century and are not fit for the internet world.

    Humaid Al Ameemi, Coordinator of the Anti-Corruption Unit of INTERPOL (the International Criminal Police Organisation, an intergovernmental body), explained that manipulation of sporting competitions, colloquially known as match fixing, is a highly organised crime involving money laundering and other illegal activities, and called for improved data sharing.

    Al Ameemi described the manipulation of competitions as a “gateway to crime”.

    Also, Joseph Gillespie, Chief of the Transnational Organised Crime Threats Unit at the FBI (the USA’s Federal Bureau of Investigation), expanded on the theme, emphasising that the Bureau has a keen interest in addressing corruption in sport.

    Gillespie said the Bureau had a keen interesting in addressing corruption in sport as it provides organised crime with opportunities to make profit through extortion, illegal betting, and other unlawful activities.

    INTERPOL, UNODC and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) have collaborated on a guide for policymakers, to help them to address, and effectively investigate competition manipulation.

    Anita DeFrantz, a member of the IOC and a medal winner at the 1976 Games in Montreal, underlined the importance of strong collaboration between sporting organisations and law enforcement agencies in ensuring integrity and credibility.

    She highlighted the role of the International Partnership Against Corruption in Sport (IPACS), which includes international sports organisations, governments, and inter-governmental bodies including UNODC.

    As the world’s most popular sport, awash with huge sums of money, football is particularly prone to corruption.

    Even the sport’s world governing body, FIFA, has faced criminal accusations and scandals, most notably in 2015, when several FIFA officials were arrested at a prominent Swiss hotel.

    Following the investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice into corruption in FIFA in 2016, the international community’s attention on corruption and crime in sport has increased significantly, along with calls to act.

    The FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, delivered a video message to the conference, in which he said that protecting football from corruption and ensuring sporting justice is the most important topic for the organisation.

    “Football is a multi-billion dollar global industry which makes it a potential target for corruption and other kinds of criminal activity and that is something that we should avoid and combat to ensure that the playing field is always level,” Infantino said.

    He said a renewed Memorandum of Understanding between FIFA and UNODC had been beneficial in developing over 60 projects linked to anti-corruption, notably the Global Integrity Programme addressing match-fixing, “a platform that facilitates important information exchange between all those combating corruption in all walks of life.”

    In the wake of the Programme, which involved training over 400 Football Integrity Officers and government officials and tackling competition manipulation, UNODC took part in the Qatar FIFA World Cup Integrity Task Force, to monitor 64 matches for match manipulation.

  • Sweden declares sex as sport

    Sweden declares sex as sport

    Sweden has officially recognized sex as a sport and finalized preparations for the inaugural sex tournament, set to commence on Thursday, June 8.

    Participants in the sex tournament will engage in daily sexual encounters that can span up to six hours.

    According to Swedish local media, a panel of judges will determine the winners of the sex competition, while the audience will also contribute their opinions and analyses to the selection process.

    The European Sex Championship, scheduled for June 8, will extend over a period of six weeks, during which participants will partake in sexual activity on a daily basis for durations ranging from 45 minutes to one hour, depending on the length of their bouts.

    The report states that the competition consists of three levels, and contestants must achieve a specific minimum number of points at each level in order to advance.

    Contestants in the sex tournament have the opportunity to earn between 5 and 10 points in each discipline, with the scoring determined through a combination of public votes and evaluation by a panel of five judges.

    According to the report, the audience will observe the sex competitions and take note of various aspects of the sexual activity. Factors such as the chemistry between the couple, their understanding of sex, their endurance level, and other important sexual attributes will all be considered in determining the ultimate winner.

    Dragan Bratych, the head of the Swedish Federation of Sex, expressed his hope that sex would eventually be recognized as a sport worldwide. He highlighted the value of education and the potential benefits of engaging in sexual activity for one’s physical and mental well-being.

    “Just like any sport, achieving desired results in sex requires training,” he stated, suggesting that competition in this realm will inevitably develop”.

    Bratych emphasized the unique aspects of this sport, where the objective is to bring extreme happiness to one’s partner.

     

  • Ex-boxer urges govt to seperate politics from sports

    Ex-boxer urges govt to seperate politics from sports

    Ikechukwu Okoronkwo, an ex-international Nigerian boxer, has urged governments at all levels to seperate politics from sports to enable the growth of the sport at both national and international levels.

    Okoronkwo, who gave the advice in Enugu on Wednesday, said sports should be left in the hands of technocrats.

    He said the situation of sports and boxing in particular, was not encouraging because a lot of people who did not understand the sport were part of the administration.

    “Some even went to the extent of tampering with the technical side of the sports as they entered through political means.

    “They will even be among the technical crew, directing things and that is why the athletes had not been doing well at competitions.

    “If administrators of the technical team do not understand the rudiments of the sports, the athletes cannot do well or achieve success in their sports career,” he said.

    Okoronkwo suggested a way forward for sports in Nigeria, saying government should engage people who have passion and knows the rudiments of sports.

    “I think the way forward is to engage people who actually have the passion and knows the rudiments of the game.

    “People who have seen it all in sports of their endeavour can impact the rules, regulation and tactics into the young ones,” the boxer said.

    He noted that the life of a boxer after retirement was enjoyable if well-planned, and urged boxers to plan for thier future while active.

    “Life of a boxer in retirement is enjoyable if well-planned and boring when not well-planned because the boxer will turn to a beggar.

    “A boxer or sports personnel should plan himself well for life after the games as sports active periods are limited.

    “Sports people need to invest and make lot of savings, that is why the government needs to pay more attention to their welfare.

    “I know sports will grow with the right administrators and technical crew, followed by a well-packaged welfare,” Okoronkwo said.

  • Do Arsenal Need Reinforcements in January?

    Do Arsenal Need Reinforcements in January?

    Arsenal FC are currently flying high in the English Premier League and the Europa League. They are top of the Premier League, and they won their Europa League group. The question being asked here is will they need reinforcements in the upcoming January transfer window to ensure they stay on top? Find out more right here.

    Do Arsenal need reinforcements?

    When Premier League football and Europa League return, can Arsenal continue their winning ways with their current squad, or will Arteta need to bring in some reinforcements in the upcoming January transfer window? According to reports, Mikel Arteta is already looking for players who could potentially strengthen their side.

    Some of you will remember that Arsenal lost 3-1 at home to Brighton in the third round of the EFL cup (Carabao Cup) after going 1-0 up in the 20th minute from a Nketiah strike. It was their penultimate game before the pause for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

    In this defeat, Danny Welbeck leveled the score just seven minutes before Mitoma put Brighton 2-1 up in the 58th minute, and then Lamptey added another in the 71st minute. Even bringing on star players Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus, Granit Xhaka, Oleksandr Zinchenko, and Gabriel Magalhães wasn’t enough to change the outcome of the game.

    Without reinforcements, what are Arsenal’s chances of landing any silverware this year?

    If you’re wondering how likely it is that Arsenal can win the Premier League or the Europa League without any reinforcements in January, the best thing to do would be to compare the latest odds from some of today’s most trusted sports betting sites. For example, the latest William Hill Online Betting odds for Arsenal to win the Europa League outright look good for The Gunners.

     

    A closer look at the odds

    At the time of writing, you will see that Arsenal are the odds-on favourite to win the Europa League, above second odds-on favourites Barcelona, and third odds-on favourites Manchester United. They are currently priced at 15/4 in UK fractional odds, which equates to 4.75 in European decimal odds, and 375 in American/moneyline odds. It also means that the implied probability rate of Arsenal winning the tournament is 21.2%.

    In comparison, second odds-on favourites Barcelona are currently priced at 21/4, which is 6.25 or 525 with a 16% implied probability rate. To win the Premier League outright, Arsenal are priced at around 9/4, which is 3.25, or 225, with a 40.80% implied probability rate. They are the second odds-on favourites to win the league behind odds-on favourites Manchester City, who are currently priced at around 13/15 (2.51 or -192).

    Recent form

    Arsenal are currently top of the league with 37 points after 14 games played. They have played 12, drawn 1 and lost 1, and they have scored 33 and let in 11. Before their loss to Brighton, they beat Chelsea 1-0 away, and then in their final Premier League outing before the world cup break, they beat Wolves 2-0 at the Molineux Stadium.

    Upcoming fixtures

    When Arsenal return for Premier League action on December 26th, they host West Ham at the Emirates Stadium before travelling to Brighton on December 31st. They play Newcastle at home on January 3rd, and then on January 9th, they play Oxford Utd away in the third round of the FA Cup.

    Which players could Arsenal bring in as reinforcements in January?

    According to reports, some of the players that Arsenal are either keeping a close eye on are Ukrainian winger Mykhailo Mudryk, who currently plays for the Ukrainian national team and Ukrainian Premier League club Shakhtar Donetsk. Arsenal are also reportedly interested in getting Portuguese international winger/attacking midfielder João Félix, who plays for La Liga club Atlético Madrid, and Spanish international star Ferran Torres, who currently plays for La Liga side Barcelona.

  • FIFA pleads with Qatar World Cup participants to “focus on football”

    FIFA pleads with Qatar World Cup participants to “focus on football”

    Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has written to 2022 World Cup participating teams urging them to focus on the football in Qatar and not let the sport be dragged into ideological or political “battles”.

    The letter from FIFA president Gianni Infantino and the governing body’s secretary general Fatma Samoura follows a number of protests made by World Cup teams.

    The protests were on issues ranging from LGBTIQ rights to concerns over the treatment of migrant workers.

    “Please, let’s now focus on the football!” Infantino and Samoura were quoted in the letter to the 32 countries contesting at the World Cup.

    “We know football does not live in a vacuum and we are equally aware that there are many challenges and difficulties of a political nature all around the world.

    “But please do not allow football to be dragged into every ideological or political battle that exists.”

    However, FIFA which is the sport’s world governing body was unable to provide immediate comment when contacted by Reuters.

    The World Cup, the first held in the Middle East, starts on Nov. 20.

    Australia’s football team last week spoke out against Qatar’s record on human rights and same-sex relationships.

    Denmark’s players will travel to the World Cup without their families as a protest against the country’s human rights record, the Danish FA (DBU) told local media last month.

    Football Australia confirmed the receipt of the letter from FIFA on Friday, but declined further comment.

    Reuters also contacted the DBU for comment.

    World Cup organisers have said that everyone, no matter their sexual orientation or background, is welcome, while also warning against public displays of affection.

    Qatar has acknowledged there are “gaps” in its labour system, but the World Cup has allowed the country to make progress on worker rights.

    “At FIFA, we try to respect all opinions and beliefs, without handing out moral lessons to the rest of the world,” Infantino said in the letter.

    “One of the great strengths of the world is indeed its very diversity, and if inclusion means anything, it means having respect for that diversity. No one people or culture or nation is ‘better’ than any other.

    “This principle is the very foundation stone of mutual respect and non-discrimination. And this is also one of the core values of football. So, please let’s all remember that and let football take centre stage.”

  • We have not cancelled National Youth Games, says sports ministry

    We have not cancelled National Youth Games, says sports ministry

    The Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development (FMYSD) has clarified that the scheduled National Youth Games in Ilorin had not been cancelled, rather only the arrival date was shifted by two days on the directive of the Mr Sunday Dare, the sports minister.

    The games had been billed for Oct 10 – 19 in the Kwara capital and no fewer than 10 states have already arrived on Sunday as earlier scheduled.

    The Director, Grassroots Sports Development, in the ministry, Alhaji Bode Durotoye, who made the clarification in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday, in Ilorin, described news of the cancellation as a ”bad rumour”.

    “We have not cancelled the National Youth Games, how could we have done that, when some states have arrived.

    “The Minister only directed us to shift arrival day by two days, for those who have not arrived, because of the non availability of hostels, due to the ongoing exam by University of Ilorin students.

    “We have given the states that have arrived their accommodations, we are only concerned about those who are yet to arrive.

    “The Minister also said that those who are yet to arrive or who have not left their states to wait an extra two days for the hostels to be available before they arrive” Durotoye said.

    NAN reports that the games are billed to hold at the Sports facilities of the University of Ilorin.

  • 5 notable sports moments of 2018 for Nigerians

    5 notable sports moments of 2018 for Nigerians

    With the year going to an end, 2018 has been a year for sport lovers to remember in Nigeria, ranging from football, Basketball, Tennis and other sports.

    TNG sports take a look at the five most memorable sport events so far in 2018:

     

    Super Eagles’ victory over Iceland at the FIFA World Cup:

    Super Eagles of Nigeria defeat Iceland 2-0 in Group D encounter to get their first three points at the tournament.

    Ahmed Musa scored both goals to give Nigeria the well celebrated victory at the World Cup.

    Sadly, it was just too brief as a 1-2 loss to Argentina in the next game sent Nigeria crashing from the World Cup

    D’Tigress reach quarter-final of FIBA Women’s World Cup

    D’Tigress of Nigeria defeated Greece 57-56 at the 2018 FIBA Women’s World Cup in Spain, making them the first African team to reach the quarter finals of the tournament.

    D’Tigress also makes history as the first African team to win three straight games.

    But D’Tigress succumbed to a resurgent USA in the quarter-final of the tournament

    Super Falcons wins 2018 AWCON Title

    With their dominance in African football waning, the Super Falcons still fought hard to win their third straight Africa Women’s Cup of Nations (AWCON) in Cameroon.

    The country watched in bated breath as the Super Falcons recovered from their opening game loss to win the title in South Africa.

    They had to deal with a strong Cameroonian team and a very much improved Bayana Bayana of South Africa to win Nigeria’s ninth AWCON title.

    Super Eagles qualified for AFCON 2019

    The Super Eagles of Nigeria have not been to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) since they last won it in 2013 Since then, they have missed two, little wonder Nigerians watched with bated breaths as the Super Eagles beat Seychelles and Libya (twice) before sealing qualification with a draw away at South Africa.

    Flying Eagles qualified for 2019 U-20 AFCON

    Nigeria’s male U20 team, Flying Eagles booked a spot in next year’s African Cup of Nations (AFCON) U20 tournament in Niger Republic following the thrashing of Mauritania in their second leg clash, with the aggregate win of 6-1.

    The Flying Eagles will be among the eight teams to contest for honours at the 2019 AFCON U20 tournament.